The Faculty of Law (UP Law) at the University of Pretoria (UP) announces with pride and congratulates Nicole Daubern on being crowned as the winner of the annual Teen Universe South Africa 2022.  The pageant was held on 27 February at Carnival City, where 40 finalists from across the country came together to compete for the crown.

According to Daubern, her Teen Universe South Africa journey started seven months ago, participating in various fundraising initiatives, charity events, interviews, and judging as a Teen Universe South Africa 2022 Semi-Finalist and Finalist. ‘The weekend was filled with interviews, swimwear judging, and rehearsals in preparation for the Grand Finale.  Contestants are judged on personality, public speaking, community involvement and knowledge.

This journey has been so rewarding and I have been able to promote a positive change amongst the youth and women of our country, providing me with a platform to encourage and inspire others. This pageant has empowered competitors to form a sisterhood, learn the value of connections, and strengthen leadership skills. Bonds forged during the finale weekend is one of the most important things I have taken away from the pageant.

Winning this has been so surreal for me as I believe that pageants really are more than just a crown, and I know the hard work, training, dedication, and passion other young women like me put into this. Nothing is more meaningful than knowing that you can continue using platforms like these after winning the title to spread awareness about worthy causes. As Teen Universe South Africa 2022, I now have the opportunity to represent our beautiful country in Nicaragua in May, where I will be competing with girls from across the globe for the Teen Universe Crown. I could not think of a greater honour than wearing my country’s name across my heart and I have Teen Universe South Africa to thank for this incredible opportunity. I am extremely grateful for everything this pageant has taught me and provided me with and I am excited for my year of reign ahead.’ concluded an elated and proud Daubern.

Teen Universe South Africa started in 2011 and is a pageant for South African teenagers, ages 15 to 20 years. It is the preliminary round to the international pageant, Teen Universe, which is the biggest and most important teenage pageant in the world, with contestants from 40 different countries.